hairless rats

SD-SNAKE · 10-31-03, 09:28 AM

I have breed hairless rats and was wondering if they might have more protien then normal rats due to not having to supply nutrients to the hair or do they have the same or less?
take care Nick

mark129er · 10-31-03, 11:25 AM

I would think their biggest advantage would be ease of digestion due to the lack of hair.

Syst3m · 10-31-03, 12:54 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mark129er
I would think their biggest advantage would be ease of digestion due to the lack of hair.

How do you now that hair isn't a natural and healthy part of digestion for a snake? Maybe it cleans out the colon or something.

Jayson · 11-01-03, 11:02 AM

I believe that snakes need the whole animal to get all the nutrition they need to stay healthy

Lisa · 11-01-03, 04:12 PM

I don't know if snakes need hair or not, how ever, I do notice that hair in the snake poop.

RepTylE · 11-02-03, 07:43 PM

lol maybe the hair makes them slide down the gullet easier

Syst3m · 11-03-03, 09:37 AM

Snakes do not digest hair or teeth. But it still may play a role in digestion.

Linds · 11-03-03, 10:15 AM

I don't think hairless rats are any more nutritious than regular rats. They aren't completely lacking hair. Some snakes develop a a preference to them (much as some develop colour preferences), at the same time some may refuse to take them at all. They don't retain heat as well either.

Quote:

Originally posted by Syst3m
Snakes to not digest hair or teeth. But it still may play a role in digestion.

Some small snakes may feed on pinky rabbits/rats/mice their whole lives, some snakes do develop the preference to hairless rats as well, some snakes do not even feed on mammals. All of these animals do quite well without a significant amount of hair in the diet. They don't seem to take any nutrition from the hair, as it comes out pretty much undigested. I wouldn't say that hair plays a significant role in digestion.

RepTylE · 11-09-03, 10:53 AM

I wonder if hairless rats would be good for frog and lizard feeding snakes. I mean not having all the fur, maybe they would have more appeal. Just a thought.

Linds · 11-13-03, 05:46 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by RepTylE
I wonder if hairless rats would be good for frog and lizard feeding snakes. I mean not having all the fur, maybe they would have more appeal. Just a thought.

Snakes that feed soley on amphibians and lizards (as well as fish, insects, etc) have different dietary requirements. Rodents are much higher in fat and can cause problems such as fatty liver disease if they completely replace the natural diet. Also, hairless rodents still have all the same scent as regular rodents, so they wouldn't be much more enticing.